Hugh Jackman's got Legs!!!

[Talulah, really!]

Checking the listing pages saw that The Greatest Showman is still on at my local multiplex next week which takes it up to nigh on THREE WHOLE MONTHS at the cinema which is almost unheard of these days.

Apparently the whole thing was Hugh Jackman's project and he invested a lot of his time and own money in it, so I assume he'll be on points, maybe even gross, for this, which should make for a bumper pay day when it all gets tallied up.

Obviously, his sheer showmanship and charisma sells a lot of the movie, audaciously cutting at the start from 10 year old orphaned on the streets Barnum to young man about town asking for the hand of his childhood sweetheart who's just got back from boarding school (Hugh Jackman is 48 years old, Michelle Williams 37), if you go along with that then nothing else is going to trouble you too much. As far as realism goes it makes Mama Mia! look like Michael Haneke.

Actually the totally hooky CGI backdrops gives it, deliberately I think, a kind of theatricality which works in its favour, it's not real, all it asks for is a willing dollop of suspension of disbelief and the next number will be along in a minute or two. In fact I seldom seen a film so allergic to tension, no sooner does a hint of cloud appear on the horizon than it is sunshined away, there is nothing, it seems, in life that can't be sorted by a beared woman belting out another autotuned banger, but hey, it's colourful and fun which is probably the main reason it seems to run and run.

[Custard]

It's ALRIGHT. The tunes are great, and catchy as all fuck

It's pretty to look at, and it's very joyous and uplifting. Which in the current climate is a nice thing innit

3 stars. Would sing along to again

[bgmnts]

Jackman seems like one of the good guys doesnt he?

[Funcrusher]

My sister and one  of her daughters have seen this twice, possibly three times and are seeking out the soundtrack cd, so it does seem to have gone down rather well with cinemagoers.

[phantom_power]

It's ALRIGHT. The tunes are great, and catchy as all fuck

It's pretty to look at, and it's very joyous and uplifting. Which in the current climate is a nice thing innit

3 stars. Would sing along to again

That is pretty much what a musical should do. The critics really got this one wrong. They seemed to be judging it like a normal biopic or something with all the talk of hagiography and being predictable. The plot is just there to hang the songs and routines off.

Everyone I know who has seen it has loved it and Hugh is a star of the old school variety

[Dr Rock]

I heard he was a bit of a cunt in real life, but wiki lists all his extensive activity in opposing the slave trade, so he can't be all bad. Not seeing this though.

[phantom_power]

I have never heard anything but good things about him

[Dr Rock]

I think having a freak show is questionable.

[DukeDeMondo]

I didn't know much about The Greatest Showman going in. Knew it was about PT Barnum, knew it was a musical, maybe. That's about it.

I thought it was absolutely fantastic. The grin that I started grinning about halfway through the second song didn't leave my face for the whole of the rest of the evening. Yes, as a Barnum biopic it's pretty flimsy stuff, and probably next to useless, and maybe even fairly offensive, but that's not really what it's trying to be. it's a big old crowd pleasing broad strokes song and dance spectacular, and it works beautifully. I loved it, anyway, and if the cinema had been showing it again that night I would have bought another ticket without question.   

[phantom_power]

Yeah, I think that is where the critics went wrong. Judging it as a biopic of Barnum. It's like there are so few musicals nowadays they have forgotten how to review them.

It might have been better off tweaking the story a bit and having a fictitious main character but I don't think most people who have watched it expected a true to life, warts and all story of his life

[SteveDave]

Jackman seems like one of the good guys doesnt he?

Save this for 20 years time when he carks it and they find a shed full of one legged inside out dogs covered in his jizz. 

[Shit Good Nose]

Checking the listing pages saw that The Greatest Showman is still on at my local multiplex next week which takes it up to nigh on THREE WHOLE MONTHS at the cinema which is almost unheard of these days.

Bit like Boss Baby - that opened on little Nose's birthday (1st April) last year and we took her to see it.  I also took her to see it early June, and then, for the last time, at the end of the summer holidays.  And that wasn't a special kids showing - several cinemas round our way were still showing it a few times a day, every day.  That's a 5 month run.

[kidsick5000]

Jackman seems like one of the good guys doesnt he?

and those fools don't suspect a thing BWAHAHAHAHAHA

[Replies From View]

[tag]Not as large as his Ackman, though.[/tag]

[Mango Chimes]

I quite fancied this until I saw an advert that had not one but two effusive quotes from Alex Zane.

[Small Man Big Horse]

When I was queuing up for Isle of Dogs today the manager came out to announce that The Greatest Showman had sold out, which was met by audible groans. Reminded me of the 1980s. Aw. I watched it tonight via nefarious means and liked it a lot, it's big and bombastic and the songs are all very catchy, but I did feel that a couple were over produced and could have benefited from an occasional glimpse of subtlety. And sometimes my mind would think pesky thoughts such as "But Barnum's a monster who is responsible for an enormous amount of cruelty to animals!" but if you can avoid such things there's no reason why you shouldn't enjoy it a lot. 7.4/10

[kidsick5000]

When I was queuing up for Isle of Dogs today the manager came out to announce that The Greatest Showman had sold out, which was met by audible groans. Reminded me of the 1980s.

Is your cinema still running a single-queue-around-the-corner affair?

[phantom_power]

When I was queuing up for Isle of Dogs today the manager came out to announce that The Greatest Showman had sold out, which was met by audible groans. Reminded me of the 1980s. Aw. I watched it tonight via nefarious means and liked it a lot, it's big and bombastic and the songs are all very catchy, but I did feel that a couple were over produced and could have benefited from an occasional glimpse of subtlety. And sometimes my mind would think pesky thoughts such as "But Barnum's a monster who is responsible for an enormous amount of cruelty to animals!" but if you can avoid such things there's no reason why you shouldn't enjoy it a lot. 7.4/10

I do think the film would have benefited from being about a fictional showman but I suppose they were hoping to get the Barnum crowd in as well. No-one complained about that musical and the current revival doesn't seem to be getting any flak. I think in the end people aren't watching the film for a true representation of an actual person

[Small Man Big Horse]

Is your cinema still running a single-queue-around-the-corner affair?

The queue was indoor sadly but otherwise it was a similar affair.

I do think the film would have benefited from being about a fictional showman but I suppose they were hoping to get the Barnum crowd in as well. No-one complained about that musical and the current revival doesn't seem to be getting any flak. I think in the end people aren't watching the film for a true representation of an actual person

Oh I get that, and I tried to the same thing but occasionally failed.

[phantom_power]

Yeah I completely understand and felt the same way at times

[chocky909]

I haven't seen it yet but I'm weirdly obsessed with it mainly because of the disparity between the public and critical reception. The main thing apart from the terrible plot holes and logic fails that is getting criticised is that the songs don't develop the plot like a traditional musical should. They nearly all are just about believing in yourself and accepting peoples' differences but basically the film pauses while a pop song plays and then the plot begins again.

Maybe that's fine and if the songs are good and the performances are strong that's all people need. A film doesn't have to be amazing in every department if it excels in one I guess.

[Blinder Data]

My experience of this was hampered by having a terrible view of the film from the front row - the front row that's not normally released because of the terrible view, but it was packed obvs.

After listening to "This is Me" and watching the trailer a few times, I had high hopes. But it was pretty ropey. Nobody besides Barnum has anything to do or develops, so "This is Me" isn't quite the character-defining moment it could've been. Every song felt overproduced and auto-tuned to my ears. The CGI was bobbins. I found it hard to care about the romance sub-plot.

The only drama was Barnum overextending himself on his exploits. Not enough to hang a proper story onto.

Still, they bucked the trend of box-office Hollywood musical flops so fair play.  But 5/10